Daily Health News Blog

Food for Thought "The idea that Alzheimer's is entirely genetic and unpreventable is perhaps the greatest misconception about the disease," says Gary Small, M.D., director of the UCLA Center on Aging. Researchers now know that Alzheimer's, like heart disease and cancer, develops over decades and can be influenced by lifestyle factors including cholesterol, blood pressure, obesity, depression, education, nutrition, sleep and mental, physical and social activity.The big news: Mountains of research reveals that simple things you do every day might cut your odds of losing your mind to Alzheimer's.In search of scientific ways to delay and outlive Alzheimer's and other dementias, I tracked down thousands of studies and interviewed dozens of experts. The results in a new book: 100 Simple Things You Can Do to Prevent Alzheimer's and Age-Related Memory Loss Here are 10 strategies I found most surprising. 1.  Have coffee.  In an amazing...

Do you find your belly wiggling like a bowl full of jelly every January? It can be hard to keep from overindulging when you are faced with a December full of buffets, cookies, and holiday dinners. But there are ways to battle the holiday bulge. Exercise is an important part of anyone’s healthy lifestyle. During the holidays it is even more important to include exercise in your busy day. There is a stronger tendency to skip your daily walk, aerobics workout, or swim during winter. There are fewer daylight hours, and there are additional activities that demand your time. Taking time for yourself every day, however, will reduce stress and help you to stay fit and trim. As for the eating, remember that the key to success is moderation. You don’t have to deprive yourself of all those holiday goodies. Just keep portions reasonable and opt for some healthy substitutes. If you are invited to a holiday gathering, try to eat something healthy before you go. You won’t be starving and tempted ...

Christmas morning is exciting and traditionally it goes like this: First the presents: the kids will let nothing stand in the way of their march to the Christmas tree. After everyone has a light breakfast, comes the second-most exciting event of the day ... Christmas dinner.  For some families, taking a walk half an hour to an hour after dinner is traditional. The walk is healthy fun for adults, kids and the family dog.  It can be a leisurely walk or a brisk walk, whatever your group enjoys. An old saying is, "Walk a hundred steps after dinner and you'll live to be 99." Actually, to increase longevity, studies say you need to walk a little more than that, but not a whole lot more.  Walking for 10 minutes on Christmas and other days, can change your body weight, lower your cholesterol and decrease your risk of stroke and other serious diseases. People who benefit most from 10-minute walks are those who normally don't exercise at all.  For them, the 10-minute...